Preston Rideout is a nightclub and bar consultant specializing in Dram Shop Expert Witness Testimony. He has 25 years of bar operations experience and 75 alcohol safety certifications. Preston is CEO of Rideout Hospitality and Founder of The Dram Shop Experts.
Upon graduating from the University of Mississippi, Preston relocated to Las Vegas to work for Pure Management Group. While in Las Vegas, Preston operated Coyote Ugly, Tangerine Nightclub, Pure Nightclub, PCD Lounge, LAX Nightclub, Noir Bar Audigier Nightclub, EVE Nightclub, Venus Pool Club, and Rehab Pool Party inside Treasure Island Casino, New York New York Casino, Caesars Palace, The Luxor, Aria Casino, and The Hard Rock Hotel. After Las Vegas, Preston launched Rideout Hospitality.
As CEO of Rideout Hospitality, Preston provides consulting to casinos, hotels, resorts, restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and hospitality management groups across the United States, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Clients retain Preston to optimize bar operations, create alcohol service policies, implement operating procedures, and conduct bartender training. Together. Preston and his team of consultants have provided consulting to over 250 clients
As Founder of The Dram Shop Experts, Preston provides plaintiff and defense attorneys with Liquor Liability, Premise Liability, Personal Injury, Catastrophic Injury, and Wrongful Death expert witness testimony. Attorneys retain Preston to provide insight into alcohol-related industry-standard operating procedures, intoxication identification, training adequacy, management oversight, alcohol service policies, procedures, bottle service, mechanical bull operations, pool parties, underage alcohol prevention, security, use of force and deadly force.
Preston Rideout has been retrained 73 times to provide Dram Shop Expert Witness Testimony. He’s been retained by Defendant’s 23 times and Plaintiff’s 50 times.
Over the past 25 years, Preston Rideout has worked as a College Bartender, Security, Vegas Nightclub Bartender, Bar Manager, Casino Nightclub Manager, Assistant General Manager, 5,000 Person Pool Party Manager, General Manager, Multi-State Director of Nightlife, Multi-Unit Director of Bar Operations and CEO of Rideout Hospitality.
Among Dram Shop Experts, Preston Rideout has the most actual alcohol service experience and the most (75) alcohol safety certifications in the nation. For these reasons, he is a highly sought-after hospitality consultant and widely considered the leading bar operation expert in the legal industry.
Dram Shop Law and Liquor Liability are legal concepts that holds businesses responsible for serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated individuals or minors who later cause harm. Liquor liability is crucial for ensuring that establishments are accountable for alcohol-related incidents, such as drunk driving accidents and altercations.
Perry Group International, founded in 1985, provides consulting, interim hotel management and restaurant and hospitality expert services for lodging, food services, resorts, and nightclubs. Their group does work nationally and internationally with new startup, profitable, and under-performing and distressed hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, retail and mixed-use real estate.
The professionals at Perry Group International serve as third-party asset manager, owners representative, and advisor, for investors and owners. They also act as court appointed receivers and interim hospitality managers for lenders, operators, and their legal and real estate professionals. Clients have included Biscuits & Blues, Cantina’s, Chevy’s, Choice Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns, Hilton, Holiday Inns, Hooter’s Casino, Hyatt, Marriott, McDonald’s, Microtel Inn & Suites, Outback Restaurants, Radisson, Residence Inns, Signature Resort, Sizzler, Sonic Drive-Ins, Starbucks, Starwood, Sheraton, Togo’s, Wendy’s, and Willie Mays Skybox Lounge among others.
Hospitality Management Consulting:
Interim Hotel Management
Temporary General Manager
Short Term Corporate Manager
Owners Representative
Hotel Asset Manager
Project Supervisor
Hotel Restaurant Nightclub Consulting:
Acquisition and Disposition Due Diligence
Financial Evaluation and Income Impact
Planning, Market Analysis, Feasibility
Operations and Internal Review
Business Interruption
Pre-opening / Post-opening Technical Support
Workouts, Restructuring and Repositioning
Court Appointed Receiver
Provisional Director
Expert Witness
Dennis Gemberling, CHA, CFBE, FMP, FCSI, President and Founder of Perry Group International, has over 35 years of experience in the Hospitality Management industry. His experience includes managing, operating, and consulting on full-service, limited-service, extended-stay, all-suite, condo and timeshare hotels and resorts, casual, fine-dining, and quick-service restaurants, bars and nightclubs, special event facilities, casinos, and mixed-use real estate.
Mr. Gemberling has held prior positions for different owners, operators, and chains as Senior Vice President, General Manager, Director of Food & Beverage, and Restaurant Unit Manager. He has been retained for over 400 projects with typical values in the $1 million to $75 million range and revenues in the $1 million to $100 million range both nationally and internationally.
Restaurant Consulting Innovations (RCI) provides services to the Restaurant / Food Services Industry, whether for new development, existing concept re-development and enhancement, or salvaging a company in crisis. RCI provides a highly focused and effective approach from evaluation to implementation of solutions to benefit their clients in the most efficient manner.
Clients List - Joe's Crab Shack, Cask ‘n Cleaver, Lord Charlie’s, El Gato Gordo, Pizza Pronto, Safari Bar Restaurant, Shark Club, Bull Dog Grill, Stronghouse, Pangea, The Ballroom, Juarez Grill, Dickerson’s Club 29, Yucatan Liquor Stand, Zepp’s Atomic Tex Mex, Cabo Grill, Angel Stadium, In Cahoots, The Ball Room, Slick Willie’s, Rodeo, Jake’s, Bobs on the Bay, Crabby Bob’s Seafood, PizzaRev, Honolulu Harry’s, Lahaina Mai Tai Lounge, Canyon Grill, Campagnia, Huey’s Grill & Brewery, Gladstone’s Long Beach, Pro’s Ranch Markets, Lily's Doughnuts & Pops
Consultant Services:
Design Build Management - Design from Culinary Vision to Construction Documentation, Full Project Management / Installation, Consolidation and Delivery, Site Surveys to Determine Operational Efficiencies, Custom Stainless Fabrication, GPO Procurement Power
Business Coaching - Leadership Development & Accountability, Performance Optimization, Franchise Model Development, Value Enhancement to Sell or Leverage Bank Financing, Business Performance Reviews, Strategic Planning, Business Turnarounds, New Concept Development
Industries Served - Independent Restaurants, Multi Unit Operators, New Concepts & Emerging Brands, Franchise Companies, Food-service Suppliers, Hotel Food & Beverage, Investors / Private Equity / Landlords, Wineries, and Virtual Kitchens
Gary R. Coburn, Principal at RCI, is an award-winning Restaurant Executive with 40 years of experience creating, opening, running, and advising hundreds of full service restaurants, limited service, quick-service, bars and nightclubs. Additional expertise in restaurant franchising and commercial kitchen design/build from remodels to ground up including conceptual development, viability and business interruption.
With over four decades in the industry, Mr. Coburn has held positions as VP of National Accounts and Design Build for the largest commercial kitchen and distribution company in the country to, Director of Operations, President, COO, Executive Director of Food Services and owner operator. His management experience has included supervising more than 2,000 employees, including 170 managers, along with overseeing consulting assignments for numerous companies.
Howard Cannon, Restaurant, Bar, and Foodservice Industry Author, Speaker, Analyst, Consultant, Expert Witness, Mediator, and CEO has served dozens of the world's largest restaurant brands, and has worked in virtually every type and style of restaurant, bar, and food service industry environment, from convenience food to fine dining, and on behalf of nearly every type, size, and style of company, from Fortune 500 international companies to independent "mom-and-pop" operations.
Author: Mr. Cannon’s world-famous books can be found in book stores in 76 countries around the globe including Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Amazon, and many other fine retailers. Mr. Cannon's most famous books, including, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting A Restaurant (1st & 2nd Edition,)", are highly-recognizable and read by tens of thousands of people.
Restaurant Expert Witness, a division of Restaurant Operations Institute, Inc. - founded in 1987, is one of America's most highly-visible & highly-recognizable restaurant, bar, and foodservice industry consulting, expert witness, and advisory firms - providing restaurant, bar, and foodservice industry analysis, consultation, expertise, opinions, advice, management, mediation, content, and expert witness services to clients of all types and sizes, and in markets across the country and around the globe. View Howard Cannon's Expert Witness Profile
Consulting Services:
Restaurant Expert Witness Services: litigation support - unbiased opinions, testimony, and reports - for Plaintiffs and Defendants in State and Federal courts. NO CHARGE for domestic travel.
Restaurant Turnaround & Profit Improvement: for those looking to get better performance out of their restaurant or group of restaurants of any type, style or size anywhere across the country or around the world.
Restaurant Start-Up: a wide variety of products and services, specializing in projects for high net worth individuals and for restaurants and bars that are well-funded.
Restaurant Seminars:
How to Start a Restaurant – attended by people from every walk of life that dream of opening and operating a successful restaurant.
How to Fix a Restaurant – attended by those who are already in the restaurant business in either a chain or an independent with responsibility for one to several dozen locations. These participants are generally looking for higher sales, lower costs, and better profits.
Custom Restaurant Industry Speeches & Seminars: providing unique and memorable speeches and seminars covering a wide variety of restaurant-based subject matter to audiences of all types and sizes in markets across the country and around the world.
Did you know that restaurants are more likely to experience workplace violence than any other industry in America? In this article we will help you find out why restaurants are so prone to violence, what leads to violence, the practical steps to help make restaurants safe, and the insider information that you need when dealing with one of these legal matters.
OSHA guidelines, standards and safety rules apply to nearly every restaurant industry legal matter and it is a whole lot more than the little bit of text on the OSHA wall poster. Your case will more likely than not depend on the standards applied and whether or not you know the standards and how best to apply them to your legal matter as it pertains specifically to restaurants.
If you have a pending lawsuit that pertains to a restaurant or bar industry legal matter, you need to know what "shared space" is, and how it applies to your underlying legal matter, and the role that OSHA guidelines, codes and safety rules will have. Shared space is an industry specific formula and will impact the standards that you apply and could be the difference between winning or losing your case.
Compiled from more than 1,000 hours of research and statistical analysis, Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security was written to help provide restaurant owners, managers, executives, employers, employees, and vendors what they need to know about OSHA and industry standards and best practices in simple language, so they can concentrate on being successful and making money.
In this revised edition, aspiring restaurateurs will find everything they need to know to open a successful restaurant, including choosing a concept and location, creating a business plan, finding the cash, and much more. New content includes information on tips, tip-outs, and reporting for the entire staff, choosing the best POS system, setting up a bar and managing the wine list, and making the bottom line look good long-term.
Ted W. Simon, PhD, DABT, is an award winning Environmental Toxicologist and Scientist. His expertise is in toxicology, risk assessment, mathematical modeling, statistics, neuroscience, and environmental / ecological health issues.
Dr. Simon has over 10 years of experience as a toxicologist employed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He served as EPA’s senior toxicologist in the waste management division working on risk and soil cleanup.
Teaching Experience - Since 2001, Dr. Simon has served as an Instructor / Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, at the University of Georgia.
Public Speaker - Well published, including the author of a textbook on toxicology and environmental risk assessment, Dr. Simon has extensive national and international public speaking experience. Since 1996, he has been delivering seminars and lectures to universities and national institutes on many subjects within his area of expertise. In 2016, he delivered a lectures on “Bayesian Methods for Application of Uncertainty Factors,” to the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, and “Quantitative Prediction of Phenotypic Change from High Throughput Assay Results,” to the EPA's Workshop on In Vitro to In Vivo Extrapolation, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Litigation Support - Dr. Simon has over 15 years of experience offering expert witness services to counsel representing both plaintiff and defendant. He has been retained over 20 times since 2000 for cases involving environmental risk, drug and alcohol cases, DUI, accidental poisoning, and intellectual property. Dr. Simon has particular expertise in dioxin-like chemicals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). His services include consulting, reports, deposition, and trial testimony when necessary.
The willingness to view risk as part of daily life has vanished. A risk-averse mindset among environmental regulators engenders confusion between the ethics of intention and the ethics of consequence, leading to the elevation of the precautionary principle with unintended and often unfortunate outcomes. Environmental risk assessment is conservative, but the actual level of conservatism cannot be determined. High-end exposure assumptions and current toxicity criteria from the USEPA, based on linear extrapolation for carcinogens and default uncertainty factors for systemic toxicants, obscure the degree of conservatism in risk assessments. Ideally, one could choose a percentile of the target population to include within environmental standards, but this choice is complicated by the food, pharmaceutical and advertising industries, whose activities, inadvertent or not, often promote maladaptive and unhealthy lifestyle choices.